It is common for bones to become fractured as the result of trauma, e.g., a fall, an automobile accident, a sporting injury, etc. Where a bone has become fractured, it is frequently necessary to stabilize the bone in the area of the fracture so as to support the bone during healing. The ultimate goal of fracture treatment is to restore function to the bone, and the key to restoring function to the bone is to ensure proper healing of the fracture site. The critical factors associated with proper healing of a fractured bone are (i) stable fixation of the fractured bone, and (ii) protection of the blood supply.
In general, a fracture fixation system is used to create a bridge across the fracture site, and the fracture fixation system principally consists of two components: (i) a bridging device (e.g., an internal fracture fixation plate, an intramedullary rod or nail, an external fracture fixation stabilizer, etc.), and (ii) bridge-to-bone interface elements (e.g., bone screws, pins, hooks, suture, wire, etc.). The location of the fracture, and the quality of the patient's bone, generally play major roles in determining the particular fracture fixation system which is used to treat a fracture.
Treating fractures in the proximal humerus is particularly challenging due to the anatomy of the proximal humerus and the surrounding tissue (e.g., soft tissue such as muscles, tendons and ligaments, neurovascular structures, etc.). Recent innovations in proximal humeral fracture fixation have primarily focused on specific incremental advances in the art, e.g., improved thread designs for bone screws, improved designs for fracture fixation plates, locking mechanisms between fracture fixation plates and bone screws, improved drill guides for more accurate placement of threaded pins, improved intramedullary nails and rods with varying apertures for improved bone screw placement, etc. However, these recent innovations in proximal humeral fracture fixation have not adequately addressed all of the clinical issues faced by the physician.
Significantly, the number of proximal humeral fractures occurring in osteopenic patients (particularly women) is growing. Treating proximal humeral fractures in osteopenic patients is even more challenging than treating proximal humeral fractures in non-osteopenic patients, due to the poor bone quality common in osteopenic patients. Furthermore, increasing numbers of these fractures are being treated in ambulatory surgical settings, which require the physician to treat the patient using less invasive techniques. Current approaches for treating proximal humeral fractures in osteopenic patients have proven inadequate, particularly where minimally invasive techniques must be used.
Thus there is a need for a new and improved method and apparatus for treating bone fractures in general, and for treating proximal humeral fractures in particular.